AusBonsai

Long story short my trident maple had mealy bug and I sprayed it with a mealy bug spray I got from bunnings

Seems as though it has burnt/destroyed the soft new growth

It looks awfully sad right now

Any tips
Should I cut the leaves, leaving the stems? Or just leave it

I also repoted this year about 3 weeks ago

It would help if you sent a photo. If the leaves are burnt then you should remove them, but leave the leaf stem (petiole). This is what happens when tridents are defoliated. I don't know your location but early Spring is a good time to re-pot.

Roger